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Chandigarh: High jumper Nishad Kumar, winner of a silver medal at the Tokyo Paralympics, says he is yet to receive a job offer from the Himachal Pradesh government. In Chandigarh to attend a function at his alma mater — DAV College, Sector 10 — Kumar, who belongs to Una district of Himachal Pradesh, said: “I haven’t received any offer of a government job yet. It would help as a secure future is always better.”
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Though the Himachal Pradesh government has announced a reward of Rs 1 crore for Kumar, he stressed that there’s a need to secure sportspersons’ future by giving them employment. Kumar, who hails from Badaun village in Amb subdivision of Una, used to compete among regular sportspersons before he learnt that something called ‘Paralympics’ exists. He was inspired by his mother — a former state level volleyball player and discus thrower — to become competitive enough to reach the Paralympics. “She is a real inspiration as she always encouraged me to play sports. She never let me feel that I am different from normal sportspersons,” said Kumar. Referring to India’s excellent performance at the Tokyo Paralympics, Kumar said the contingent was well prepared. “This is definitely a result of proper planning. The inclusion of players at various national camps helped us perform well. I got trained at the Bengaluru national camp for two years and many others got similar opportunities,” said Kumar. “Like normal players, handicapped players should also get a chance to play championships at the state level,” he added. “More tournaments mean more exposure at a young age.” Kumar was six when his right hand had to be amputated after it got injured in an accident involving a fodder-cutting machine at home. — Deepankar Sharda
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